EK D5 Vario X-Res - inlet on top of tube res?

Brian18741 · 24 Apr 2014 at 22:56

Hey Guys,

I'm looking to buy this EK-D5 Vario X-RES 140 (incl. pump) soon but I'm reading the installation manual on EKs website and it says not to use the top port of the res as an inlet. Why is this?

I have seen many builds with an inlet in the top of the res and am looking to do the same in my build. Do I need to change the piece on top of the res to one with more ports? If so, what do I buy?

If I can't do that with this product, can you recommend me what I need to get? I want a vertical tube res up to 150mm long, mounted onto the pump, I want the inlet to be on top of the res and the outlet to come from the pump beneath. I want it to assemble as one piece for aesthetic and practical reasons as I will be mounting the whole thing onto a radiator.

All help greatly appreciated!

Brian.

Shawy · 25 Apr 2014 at 08:29

You can - but it'll be harder to fill your loop, you'll want a rotary fitting on the top of the res so you can unscrew the top for filling. It'll also create a lot of bubble and noise in the system from the falling water.

A better option would be this Bitspower reservoir which has a tube that sits below the waterline so no bubbles/noise is created.
Then use one of these fittings to attach the res to the pump top using the single fitting in the centre of one of the caps - that way you still have 2 free ports on the top for filling the loop. I know it's not an all in one like you're after but it's a far better option.

shadowscotland · 25 Apr 2014 at 08:34

or use the koolance version.
Most people use the top as a fill port line.
If you are going to use the top as the inlet - it's best to fully fill the res - or as Shawy said you get noise and bubble.

Brian18741 · 25 Apr 2014 at 13:48

Shawy said:
You can - but it'll be harder to fill your loop, you'll want a rotary fitting on the top of the res so you can unscrew the top for filling. It'll also create a lot of bubble and noise in the system from the falling water.

A better option would be this Bitspower reservoir which has a tube that sits below the waterline so no bubbles/noise is created.
Then use one of these fittings to attach the res to the pump top using the single fitting in the centre of one of the caps - that way you still have 2 free ports on the top for filling the loop. I know it's not an all in one like you're after but it's a far better option.

See the bottom of that BitsPower res, the three ports and internal pipe section, could I use that as the top of the EK tube res? Both are 60mm diameter.

Then as you say, I could have the loop inlet coming in through the port with the internal pipe so coolant enters the res below the level of the coolant already in there eliminating splashing and noise? Then I can use one of the other two ports for filling/bleeding purposes.

I see EK have a multi-port res top and also internal pipes.

Ideally I want to keep it as a single unit but using the fittings you linked I can see how I could get it close. Will look into that option some more!

shadowscotland said:
or use the koolance version.
Most people use the top as a fill port line.
If you are going to use the top as the inlet - it's best to fully fill the res - or as Shawy said you get noise and bubble.

That looks very similar to the EK multi-port res top I was looking at on their site. I will be fully filling the res anyway as I don't like the look of them half or three quarters full so that's a bonus!